Valve for vacuum systems



W 1934- H. T. STEIN 1,957,812

VALVE FOR VACUUM SYSTEMS Filed March 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l A TTOE/YEY y 1934- H. T. STEIN I 1,957,812

VALVE FOB VACUUM SYSTEMS Filed March 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENIT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to valves, and more specifically to an improved valve adapted for use as a part of a vacuum or suction system, for instance, of the type employed on printing 5 presses and other machines in the operation of which sheets of paper or other material are handled, the predominant object of the invention being to provide an improved valve which is so constructed and operated that the associated vacuum or suction system may be alternately effective and non-effective.

As is very well known, printing presses and other machines are provided with paper-feeding mechanisms which include movable vacuum or suction elements, these mechanisms being operable to effect the removal from piles or stacks of sheets of paper of the top sheet. Such removal of said top sheets is accomplished by moving the suction elements into close proximity with respect to said top sheets so that the suction created thereby will cause the top sheets of paper to adhere to the suction elements, whereby said sheets may be fed by the movable suction elements to 4 other points of the printing presses or other machines. In some types of apparatus with which suction feeding mechanisms are associated, notably printing presses, it is desirable to feed a sheet of paper on every alternate stroke of the suction element of the mechanism instead of on every stroke thereof, and the main purpose of this invention is to provide a simple valve which may be easily incorporated in one of the mechanisms and which will permit the feeding mechanism to feed a sheet of paper on every stroke of the suction pipe or on alternate strokes thereof.

Fig. l is a side elevation of a printing press provided with a vacuum or suction paper-feeding mechanism which is equipped with my improved valve.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the valve as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the staggered line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the movable portion of the valve in a moved position.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the valve showing the means for rendering same inoperative.

In the drawings, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention, and referring particularly to Fig. 1 of said drawings, A designates a printing press which may be of any ordinary and well known design. The printing press A is provided with the usual adjustable support B for a stack of sheets of paper 0 from the top of which sheets of paper are fed, one at a time, to an element D leading to the press proper by a vacuum or suction feeding 60 mechanism E. The vacuum or suction feeding mechanism E includes an arm F which is pivotally supported to a transversely extended, rockable shaft G, said arm being extended upwardly at an angle to a point above the paper support B. Associated with the arm F at its upper end is a suction device H which is arranged to contact with the uppermost sheet of paper of the stack of sheets of paper C, said suction device having a tube J associated therewith, which places openings J in the suction device in communication with a passageway K formed through the arm F and associated elements. Located at the lower end of the arm F is a pipe fitting L, which is arranged in communication with the passageway K referred to, said pipe fitting having connected thereto a flexible conductor M which, with the flexible conductor N, forms a conduit leading to a suitable vacuum or suction apparatus (not shown).

V designates my improved valve, which, as shown clearly in Fig. 1, is arranged so that it constitutes a part of the conduit provided by the flexible conductors M and N; that is to say, said valve is connected in communication with the flexible conductors M and N so that certain passageways within the valve which will be hereinafter referred to may be caused to communicate with the passageways through said conductors. The valve V comprises a housing 1 which preferably is circular in cross-section, said housing being secured-by suitable fastening devices 2 to a support 3 which is fixed to the frame of the associated printing press. The inner end of the housing 1 is closed by a wall 1 of considerable thickness into which the screw-threaded end portions of the fastening devices 2 are screwed, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The forward end of the valve housing 1 is closed by a removable head portion 4, which is fastened in place by suitable fastening devices 5 which pass through apertures formed through the wall of the housing.

Arranged within the housing 1 of the valve V is a rotatable valve member 6 with which is associated a valve stem 7. The valve stem 7 is extended through and is supported within an opening 8 formed through the head 4 in a manner to permit rotation of said stem within said opening, and said stem extends outwardly beyond the head 4, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The valve 110 member 6 corresponds in shape to the shape of the cavity 9 within which said valve member is located, said valve member being circular and the circumferential face thereof being in close contact with the inner face of the wall of the valve housing. Also, the valve member 6 is forced into close contact with the inner face of the rear wall 1 of the valve housing by a coil spring 10, which surrounds the valve stem 7, and a boss 11 which is formed at the inner face of the head 4.

Formed in the rear wall 1 of the valve housing is a pair of passageways 12 and 13 which are open at the inner face of the rear wall 1 of said housing and extend rearwardly therefrom, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The passageways 12 and 13 communicate with openings 12 and 13 formed in the wall 1' and extended at a substantial right angle with respect thereto, which latter passageways receive nipples l4 and 15. The nipples 14 and 15 are fixed in the passageways 12 and 13' in any suitable manner and extend outwardly from the valve housing, and the outer end portions of said nipples receive the flexible conductors N and M, respectively, as shown most clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. The valve member 6 is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed passageways 16, each of which is arcuate in shape, said passageways preferably being in form of recesses or cavities formed at the rearmost face of said valve head.

Rigidly fixed to the outer end portion of the valve stem 7 is a ratchet wheel 1'7, and interposed between said ratchet wheel and a forward face 4 of the head 4 of the valve housing 1 is an arm 18 which extends radially with respect to the major axis of the valve housing. The arm 18 is provided with an opening at its inner end which receives a forwardly extended circular portion 19 formed on the head 4 of the valve housing 1 in a manner to permit of said arm being rotated or oscillated about said extension, and because said arm is loosely confined between the face 4 of the head 4 and the inner face of the ratchet wheel 17, said arm is maintained in its proper position on said extension.

The arm 18 is provided with a suitable strap 20 which is secured in place by suitable fastening devices 21, said strap being arranged to embrace and provide a guide for a pawl 22 (Figs. 2 and 3). Also, at the outer portion of the arm 18 same is provided with a plate 23 which is extended at a substantially right angle with re spect to said arm, said plate being provided with extensions 23' through which fastening devices are passed so as to fasten said plate to said arm. The plate 23 is provided with an aperture through which a stem 24 associated with the pawl 22 extends, said stem being surrounded by a coil spring 25 which contacts at its opposite ends with said plate 23 and a shoulder at the point where the stem 24 joins the pawl, in a manner to force said pawl toward the ratchet wheel 17.

Pivotally attached at the point designated by the reference character 26 to the plate 23 is an element 26 which preferably is in the form of a relatively thin strip of material, which serves to render the pawl ineffective when desired. The stem 24 associated with the pawl provided with a notch 27 (Fig. 3) which is so located that when the stem is drawn outwardly by grasping the knob at the upper end of said stern and moving said knob outwardly, said notch may be located in a position where an edge portion of the element 26 may be moved into said notch. The result of this arrangement is that the pawl will be maintained out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 17, whereby movement of said pawl will have no effect on said ratchet wheel. The valve housing 1 has fixed thereto a supporting element 28 which supports a pawl 29 which prevents retrograde movement of the ratchet wheel 17, the nose portion of said pawl being maintained in contact with the ratchet wheel 17 by a torsional coil spring 30.

The arm 18 of my improved valve mechanism is connected by a link 31 to the arm F of the vacuum or suction mechanism E illustrated in Fig. 1. This link is pivotally connected to the arm 1.8, and is pivotally connected to a suitable yoke 32 which embraces said arm F so that movement of the arm F is imparted to the arm 18.

In the operation of the printing press A illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings, the upper end portion of the arm F of the vacuum or suction paper-feeding mechanism E is moved forwardly aboutits pivotal point for the purpose of feeding sheets of paper from the top of the stack of sheets of paper C to the inclined support D. This movement of the arm F continues during the entire operation of the press, said arm being continually oscillated as described to feed the sheets of paper of the stack C one by one to the printing mechanism of the press. Under certain conditions in the operation of the printing press, it is desired to feed a sheet of paper from the stack C on each stroke of the arm F, while under other conditions a sheet of paper is fed on every alternate stroke only of the arm F.

In the operation of a printing press equipped with my improved valve, the valve member 6 may be moved to a position where one of the arcuate passageways 16 formed therein communicates with both of the passageways 12 and 13 formed in the wall 1 of the valve housing. The pawl 22 may be then moved outwardly and locked by the element 26 out of engagement with the ratchet l7, whereupon the passageways 12 and 13 in the wall 1 of the valve housing and the effective passageway 16 formedin the valve member 6 will constitute parts of the conduit leading from a vacuum or suction apparatus (not shown) to the passageway K formed through the arm F. With the .valve arranged as described, suction is felt at all times at the suction device H, hence a sheet of paper will be fed on each stroke of the arm F. However, when it is desired that a sheet of paper be fed on each alternatestroke of the arm the pawl 22 is arranged in its effective position with respect to the ratchet wheel 1'7 by withdrawing the edge portion of the element 26 from the notch in the stem 24. With the pawl 22 so arranged the valve member 6 will be rotated onequarter of a revolution on each stroke of the arm F. The result of this will be that on one stroke of the arm F one of the arcuate passageways 16 in the valve member 6 will be arranged in communication with the passageways 12 and 13 so that suction will be felt at the suction device H, whereby a sheet of paper will be fed by the suction element H to the member D. However, on the next stroke of the arm F in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the valve member 6 will be rotated one-quarter of a revolution by cooperation of the pawl 22 and the ratchet wheel 17, with the result that a solid portion of the valve member 6 will be positioned adjacent to the open ends of the passageways 12 and 13. Thus suction in the openings J of the suction device H will be discontinued, and said suction device will not pick up the top sheet of paper of the stack C and feed same to the member D. It is apparent, therefore, that on each alternate stroke of the arm F said arm will feed a sheet of paper to the printing mechanism of the press, while on the intermediate strokes of said arm the suction at the suction device H will be discontinued and no sheet of paper will be fed by the feeding mechanism.

I claim:

1. A suction regulating device for a paper-feeding mechanism which includes a movable feeding element, comprising a valve adapted for arrangement in the suction conduit of the paper feeding mechanism, said valve including a valve housing provided with passageways adapted for communication with portions of said conduit, a valve member having a passageway formed therein, said valve member being movable to bring the passage way thereof into and out of communication with said passageways in said valve housing, and means for cooperatively connecting said valve member to said movable element of the suction paperfeeding mechanism, the last-mentioned means including an oscillatory arm, means for connecting said oscillatory arm to said movable element of the suction paper-feeding mechanism, means carried by said oscillatory arm including a ratchet and pawl whereby oscillatory movement of said arm is caused to transmit rotary movement to said valve member, and means for controlling movement of said valve member by said oscillatory arm.

2. A suction regulating device for a paper-feeding mechanism which includes a movable feeding element, comprising a valve adapted for arrangement in the suction conduit of the paper feeding mechanism, said valve including a valve housing provided with passageways adapted for communication with portions of said conduit, a valve member having a passageway formed therein, said valve member being movable to bring the passageway thereof into and out of communication with said passageways in said valve housing, and means for cooperatively connecting said valve member to said movable element of the suction paper-feeding mechanism, the last-mentioned means including an oscillatory arm, means for connecting said oscillatory arm to said movable element of the suction paper-feeding mechanism, means including a ratchet and pawl whereby oscillatory movement of said arm is caused to transmit rotary movement to said valve member, and means including a pivoted member cooperable with a notch formed in a stem movable with said pawl for rendering said ratchet and pawl ineffeotive.

HARRY T. STEIN. 

